Now that we have reached the Sweet SIxteen, we get to see matchups between titans of college basketball. Houston and Purdue have both had some very quality NCAA Tournament runs so far over the past decade or so.
Trey Kaufman-Renn will need to continue to be a star for Purdue, the 6'9 junior finished 14th in the nation in scoring, and the Boilermakers will need all of his 20.3 points per game. Houston is led by L.J. Cryer's scoring with 15.6 per game, but when you average 7.9 steals per game and have five players who average a steal or more per game, defense is your calling card.
Houston was the top seed in the region for a reason, so Purdue will have their hands full as they look return to the Elite Eight for the second straight season. But how can you watch this exciting matchup?
How to watch Houston vs Purdue
Date: Friday, March 28
Time: 10:09 p.m. ET
Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN
How to Watch (TV): TBS
Streaming: fubo TV
Purdue record 24-11
Houston record 32-4
Houston vs Purdue odds, spread, and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline
- Purdue + 270
- Houston -345
Spread
- Purdue +7.5 (-102)
-Houston -7.5 (-120)
Total
132.5 (Over-110/Under-110
Houston injury report
Ramon Walker: Out - Hand
Jacob McFarland: Out- Leg
Purdue injury report
Daniel Jacobsen Out - Knee
Houston vs Purdue series history
Houston all-time record vs Purdue 1-2
Houston vs Purdue prediction
Purdue gets a bit of a shock after taking down 13-seed High Point and 12-seed McNeese. Now, they have to take on a team that is 11 seeds higher than their most recent opponent, the top-seeded Houston.
Houston takes care of the ball, averaging just 9.2 turnovers per game which is good for sixth in the nation. They are great at not allowing their opponents to get out to fastbreaks, and will control the pace of the game. The Cougars can do just about everything as a basketball team, they hit threes when they need to, they block shots, and with Kelvin Sampson coaching this squad, rebounding is always going to be important.
Purdue has plenty to give Houston a great run for their money though, as they are also a very well-rounded team. The Boilermakers run heavy through their guards, and will need a big scoring night out of one of them to win this game.
Had the Boilermakers not lost young 7'4 center Daniel Jacobsen to injury early in the year, this could have been a Purdue team ready to take down anybody in the nation with that size. However, Houston just has too much firepower for Purdue and should be able to get back to the Elite Eight after back-to-back appearances in 2021 and 2022.